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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

As some of you may remember: At the end of August we finally, officially, put The House up for sale. I’m happy to report that last Friday – four weeks after the first ad – we (my brother & I) signed a contract with new owners, who will be taking possession already around 1st November.

Per & I then spent the rest of that day clearing out the few “personal” items we still had left in the house. A few last pieces of old furniture and kitchenware we have agreed it’s okay if we leave behind (for them to do with as they please).

So not much (if anything) remains to be done in the house itself now before we hand over – perhaps just saying a final goodbye. The rest is just “paperwork”.

The image above is a Picasa overlay collage of two photos: The original house as built by my grandparents in 1930, and the extension added by my parents in 1992.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

We’ve been having a mild and sunny September so far, and Nature seems a little bit confused at times.

Here in Sweden we just had an election which led to a rather confused political situation as well. When most of the votes were counted late on Sunday night, it stood clear that the previous mid/right Alliance government (consisting of four parties which have appeared as a united front during the past eight years) had lost; and the prime minister took the radical decision not only to hand in his resignation from that position, but as leader of his party as well (and thereby also the alliance).

The most likely (or really, the only) candidate as new prime minister is his main opponent, the leader of the Social Democrates (still by far the biggest party in the parliament); but at the same time, not even the support of both his closest allies (Green and Left) is enough to give these three parties majority in the parliament.

Because as Joker in the game, we also have a growing right-wing populist party which none of the other parties (neither the left wing ones nor the former alliance) want to be associated with. This party crossed the 4% threshold necessary for parliamentary representation back in 2010, but in this election got nearly 13% of the votes and thus more than doubled their representation; which means they can no longer easily be “ignored”.

If you like, read a bit more about it all in a BBC News report on the Swedish election here.

This far, no one really knows what’s going to happen. And it will be another couple of weeks of speculations at least, before a new prime minister can be officially appointed and a new government presented.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Almost every day for a whole week now, I’ve been going for walks around town to watch a lot of wonderful street art appearing on previously blank walls, backstreets and dull pedestrian underpasses.

I’ve already shown some of my photos in previous posts, but here are some more.

The festival was organized by local artist Shai Dahan, who painted the mural above back in the spring, to serve as advertisment for the event. (It can be seen from cars passing through town on the motorway.)

▲ These two murals are found on opposite gables of a big apartment building (facing different streets).▼ Artists Natalia Rak (left) & ECB (right).

See the mural “Ophelia” by Natalia Rak come to life in this (official) video! ▼ (hope it works for you to see it!)

▲ A previously very dull pedestrian underpass, now colourfully decorated by “Appear37”

▲ Another underpass down by the river; various artists.

▲This work in a back yard/street was painted by a group calling themselves The London Police (TLP). ▼

▲ Not really my favourite kind of art, and yet I have to say that even this one blends in surprisingly well with the old buildings in a backstreet. By “Simple”.▼

▲ By Peeta (Manuel Di Rita) – near the University.(Whatever it’s supposed to be, it beats an empty wall.)

▲ This mural by Ekta near a major roundabout reminds of our industrial heritage (or at least that’s my interpretation!).▼

▲ The work by Carolina Falkholtis now finished and signed. (See it in progress in my post from 8 Sept).

▲ As is the “centerpiece” by Eduardo Kobra (the work in progress previously shown in my post from 6 Sept). ▼

Someone asked me if all this wall art does not dominate the town too much now. Actually – I don’t think it does, because they are pretty well spread out, and you don’t see more than one piece of it at a time.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Yesterday I went in search of this back-street mural which is not in the city center area, but a bit further off. I found it well worth the extra walk, though.

From today’s local newspaper I learn that the murals painted for the festival have so far only got a temporary planning and building permission, lasting until New Year. However, the property owners as well as the general public seem to have taken to them immediately, and want to keep them. So hopefully the temporary permits will be prolonged. (If not made permanent as in “forever”, at least for as long as a normally repainted facade would last.)

From the reactions so far, I do think that if the authorities would decide to remove them too soon, we might see a major citizens’ rebellion!

Monday, September 8, 2014

The artist (Carolina Falkholt) was still at it with this piece today. I don’t know how much more work will be put into it before it’s considered finished – but this is one I pass by quite often, so I’ll be able to check!

Saturday, September 6, 2014

There’s a Street Art Festival going on here (Borås, Sweden) this weekend, giving the city a major makeover by adding colourful murals to a number of large, previously rather boring walls.

Weatherwise, the working conditions for the artists could hardly have been better, as we’ve been having absolutely wonderful late summer weather.

I’ll be showing several more murals in later posts, but for Weekend Reflections I’ve chosen the one in progress in a prominent place in central town, just by the river. (Which means, of course, that it is also reflected in the water!)

Tuesday, 2 September

Thursday, 4 September

Friday, 5 September

Saturday, 6 September

The man in this huge portrait is Alfred Nobel (1833- 896), founder of the Nobel Prize; a Swedish chemist, engineer and innovator. (Of his 350 different patents, dynamite is probably the most famous.) In his will, he left most of his fortune to the establishment of the Nobel Prize.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Skyline from the lake beach near my parents’ old house, which is now up for sale. I went out there on Thursday (by bus) to check on a few details – but mostly because it was a beautiful day, and it might be my last chance of a stroll along that beach before we sell the house. (Well – in weather like this, anyway!)

Of course the beach will still be there and possible to visit in coming years as well. Just not as convenient any more when one does not have one’s own house nearby.

On the whole, though, it will be more convenient not to have the house … and maybe I’ll even be able to actually go somewhere else instead for a change!

(The house is not right by the beach and does not have a lake view; but it’s within close walking distance.)

Thursday, September 4, 2014

The lion (Panthera leo) is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a major population decline in its African range of 30–50% per two decades during the second half of the 20th century.

Lions are unusually social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. [Wikipedia]

The origin of our whole zoo was one orphan lion cub found (in Sudan, Africa) by a Swedish explorer back in the 1950’s. See an old post of mine from 2011:It All Started With One Lion.

When I was visiting this time, the lions were waiting to be fed (feeding time was about an hour away – and if memory serves me right, I don’t think they’re fed every day, because it’s not in their natural habit to eat daily).

In "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" by C.S. Lewis, the goal of the journey is to explore "the Unknown Eastern Seas Beyond the Lone Islands". - Learn more by clicking on About Me at the top of the blog.

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